A trial was carried out during 165 days in 1991 at the Hoa An
Sulphate-Acid Soil Research Station of the University using 27
local baxuyen pigs, allotted in a randomized complete design with
3 treatments and 3 blocks and 3 pigs per experimental unit. In
each of the post-weaning, growing and fattening stages, the
experimental animals were fed with diets containing sugar cane
juice or "A" molasses as complete replacement of
cereals, in comparison with control pigs fed with a cereal-based
control diet. Pigs consumed readily diets containing cane juice
and molasses and showed good health, except some cases of
prolonged diarrhoea, rectal protrusion and hindleg weakness. Cane
juice gave the highest daily weight gain, followed by control and
finally molasses, though differences were not statistically
significant. Molasses gave the worst feed conversion as compared
with cane juice and control diet (P<0.05). Cane-juice fed pigs
seemed to have the highest feed intake, followed by molasses and
basal-diet group though the differences were not significantly
different. Sugar cane juice and "A" molasses can thus
replace totally cereals in the diets of local Baxuyen pigs from
weaning up to slaughter.

It is a Government priority in Vietnam to reserve rice grain
for human consumption and therefore to find alternatives to
cereal grains for developing the pig industry. In the
acid-sulphate soils in the Mekong Delta region, sugar cane grows
well and is more productive than rice.

The present trial aimed at complete replacement by sugar cane
juice and "A" molasses of energy feeds derived from
cereals such as rice bran, rice polishings, broken rice and maize
in the diets of pigs.

Materials and methods

The trial was conducted at the Hoa An Sulphate-Acid Soil
Research Station of the University from March 1 to August 15,
1991 during a 165-day experimental period.

The experimental animals were 27 local Baxuyen pigs aged 2
months and of 9 kg mean liveweight. The experimental design was a
randomized complete block consisting of 3 treatments in 3 blocks
with groups of 3 pigs as each experimental unit. The experimental
diets are shown in Table 1. Details on the method of manufacture
and the composition of "A" molasses were given in an
earlier paper (Bui Hong Van and Le Thi Men 1990).

Table 1: Composition
of experimental diets for post- weaning pigs (from 2 up
to 4 months of age; growth period from 9 to 25 kg)

Ingredient/Analysis

Sugar cane

(% of diet
DM)

Control

"A"
molasses

juice

"A"
molasses

-

32.7

-

Sugar cane
juice

-

-

34.3

Protein
supplement

-

67.3

65.7

Basal diet

100

-

-

N x 6.25 (%
in DM)

19.0

18.5

18.3

N x 6.25
(g/d)

150

144

166

Table 2: Composition
of experimental diets for growing pigs (from 4 up to 5.5
months of age, weighing from 26 up to 50 kg)

Ingredient/Analysis

Sugar cane

(% of diet
DM)

Control

"A"
molasses

juice

"A"
molasses

-

57.3

-

Sugar cane
juice

-

-

60.3

Protein
supplement

-

42.7

39.7

Basal diet

100

-

-

N x 6.25 (%
in DM)

14.3

14.5

13.8

N x 6.25
(g/day)

220

250

275

Weaned pigs for the experiment were purchased from farm
households in the countryside at the age of 30-40 days, weighing
5-8 kg. During the 15 days before the experiment, the pigs were
made acquainted with the new accommodation and the diets of sugar
cane juice and molasses. The pigs were fed ad libitum with
the experimental diets which were adjusted to similar protein
contents. The feeding scheme was partitioned into 3 stages,
namely post- weaning from 2-4 months, growing from 4-5.5 months
of age and finishing from 5.5 months to slaughter weight of
approximately 85 kg. Data on feed intake were collected every
day; those on liveweights every 15 days and those on carcass
value were recorded once at slaughtering of all experimental pigs

Table 3: Composition
of experimental diets for finishing pigs (from 5.5 up to
7.5 months of age, weighing from 51 up to 85 kg)

Ingredient/Analysis

Sugar cane

(% of diet
DM)

Control

"A"
molasses

juice

"A"
molasses

-

63.5

-

Sugar cane
juice

-

-

64.8

Protein
supplement

-

36.5

35.2

Basal diet

100

-

-

N x 6.25 (%
in DM)

13.0

13.2

12.6

N x 6.25
(g/d)

310

340

350

Results and discussion

The pigs consumed readily the sugar cane juice and the
"A" molasses. Several of the molasses-fed pigs suffered
from prolonged diarrhoea; the two fastest growing had rectal
protrusion and three others were weak in their hind legs and had
to sit like a dog when eating. Cane-juice fed pigs were also very
contented to consume the feed and had good health compatible with
the control group fed the cereal-based diet.

NS not significant
a,b,c Values followed by at least one common letter are not
significantly different

Liveweight gain appeared to be highest on the cane juice diet,
the cereal diet was next and molasses was the poorest, though the
differences were not statistically significant (Table 4). The dry
matter intake was highest on the cane juice diet, followed by the
molasses and the cereal diet lowest (P>0.05). The feed
conversion was poorest on the molasses treatment, followed in
order by the cane juice and the cereal diet (P<0.01).

The feed cost per kg weight gain of pigs fed "A"
molasses or sugar cane juice was higher than that of cereal-fed
pigs because of the high price of molasses and cane stalk during
the experiment period. The data indicate that molasses and sugar
cane juice can only replace economically cereals when the price
of 1 kg molasses or 9 kg sugar cane stalk is lower than that of 1
kg rice polishings.

Table 5: Carcass
and viscera characteristics of experimented pigs

"A"

Cane

Item

Control

molasses

juice

Prob

Slaughter
weight (kg)

87

80

91

Dressing
percentage

84.6

84.0

85.1

NS

Whole-sale
meat (%)

78.2

76.9

79.2

NS

Loin eye area
(cm²)

32.9

29.1

34.4

NS

Backfat depth
(cm)

4.02

3.74

4.20

NS

Liver (kg)

1.43

1.42

1.52

NS

Heart (kg)

0.233

0.211

0.244

NS

All experimental pigs were slaughtered at the end of the
experiment, at the Haugiang provincial meat processing plant for
exported meat. Carcass and viscera characteristics are presented
in Table 5. It is apparent that the carcasses of pigs fed sugar
cane juice and molasses are as good as those from pigs fed
cereals in terms of carcass and viscera yields.

Conclusions and recommendations

The results for weight gain, feed intake and conversion and
carcass value prove that sugar cane juice and molasses can
substitute totally for cereals in the diets of local Baxuyen pigs
from weaning up to slaughter. The only notable disadvantage was
the poorer feed conversion rate on cane juice, and especially on
molasses, relative to cereals despite liveweight gain being
slightly higher on the cane juice. This is in agreement with
reports from Cuba (Figueroa 1990) and from Colombia (Sarria et
al 1990).

References

Figueroa Vilda 1990 Sugar cane as the
main crop for animal production. IN: Integration of livestock
with crops in response to increasing population pressure on
available resources (Editors: T R Preston and M Rosales). CTA:
Wageningen